Quickstart

AgentCard ships as a single npm package. Install it globally so every agent on your machine can use it:

npm install -g agentcard

Requires Node.js 18+. Verify the install with agentcard --version.

AgentCard uses passwordless magic-link authentication. Run the signup command with your email:

agentcard signup --email you@example.com

A magic link is sent to your inbox. Click it, and the CLI automatically logs you in. Your session token is stored at ~/.agentcard/config.json.

There is no waitlist. Clicking the link creates your account — nobody has to approve it, and there is no queue to wait in. You can also start from the homepage if you would rather enter your email in a browser.

Run the setup wizard to choose the card your agent will pay with, provision your agent's email inbox, and prepare the Base wallet:

agentcard setup

Setup asks which card you'll pay with. If it's a Mastercard, choose Mastercard — the CLI opens a secure page where you connect it to Mastercard Agent Pay, the recommended way to pay. For any other card, the CLI opens a Stripe Checkout setup session so you can save it on file. No charge is made either way. To skip the question (for example, when an agent runs setup), pass --mastercard or --no-mastercard.

Setup does not ask for name, phone number, or other manual KYC fields; KYC happens through the hosted verification flow when required. Setup runs once per account.

This is the one step that is not instant, so it is worth being plain about: new direct accounts complete an identity check before their first purchase. Installing, signing up, and setup all happen before this and take seconds. Verification itself is a hosted flow run by our identity provider and usually finishes in a few minutes, but it is not something we can skip — it is a regulatory requirement for card payments.

agentcard identity

If verification is required, the CLI opens a hosted link in your browser. Complete the check there, then rerun the command or retry your spend. If your account is already cleared, the command simply reports that no verification is needed.

Grandfathered accounts and manually provisioned partner accounts are exempt. If you are evaluating AgentCard and need to move faster than the check allows, email support@agentcard.ai.

Your agent requests a payment for one specific purchase — the merchant, the item, and the final total:

agentcard request new --merchant "DoorDash" --url https://doordash.com --item "Dinner" --amount 25

What happens next depends on the card you chose during setup. Either way, the CLI prints a card number, CVV, and expiry that work for this purchase only.

Mastercard: Mastercard Agent Pay (default)

If you connected a Mastercard, every request uses Mastercard Agent Pay by default. The CLI opens an approval page; after you approve with a passkey, it prints a one-time network token scoped to that merchant and amount. The merchant charges your Mastercard directly — AgentCard never holds funds for these purchases. They draw against their own account-level spend limit (agentcard limit --source connected). Manage connected cards with agentcard sources, or connect one later with agentcard sources connect --network mastercard.

Any other card: a one-time card number

With any other card, AgentCard provides a one-time card number capped at the purchase amount, rounded up to whole dollars, up to $150 (the per-card cap during beta). It's ready instantly and live for 7 days. We place a hold on your saved card for the requested amount; you're only charged if a merchant actually uses it. Unused holds release within 7 days. Mastercard holders can ask for one explicitly with --source agentcard.

If you need to re-fetch the details before the 7-day window closes, run agentcard request get <id>. Run it with no argument to list every purchase you've made. Done with a one-time card number before it's been used? Run agentcard request cancel <id> to close it and release the hold immediately instead of waiting out the 7-day window.

Limits

Each purchase draws against an account-level spend limit (default $100 each for Mastercard Agent Pay and for one-time card numbers). Normal direct accounts also have a hard $200 daily spend ceiling across both that cannot be raised by the CLI. View or change your limits with agentcard limit or agentcard limit --amount <n>. Partner accounts are manually provisioned by AgentCard, use separately configured limits, and are exempt from direct-user KYC verification and the default direct-user daily ceiling.

AgentCard works with every AI agent that can make HTTP requests or fill out web forms:

For AI-native integrations, AgentCard also exposes a skill endpoint at agentcard.ai/skill that agents can read for structured instructions.

Integrating without the CLI? The full REST API reference covers every endpoint the CLI uses, and the MCP server guide sets up agentcard-mcp for Claude, Cursor, and other MCP clients.

1. Authenticate — Ask the user for their email, run agentcard signup --email <email>, and wait for them to click the magic link.
2. Set up the account (first run only) — Run agentcard setup. Ask the user whether they'll pay with a Mastercard: if so, run agentcard setup --mastercard to connect it through Mastercard Agent Pay; otherwise run agentcard setup --no-mastercard. Share the printed URL with the user, then wait for the CLI to finish. Skip this step on subsequent sessions.
3. Complete KYC when required — Run agentcard identity. If the CLI prints a KYC verification URL, share it with the user and wait for verification before spending.
4. Request a payment — Run agentcard request new --merchant <name> --url <url> --item <desc> --amount <n>. With Mastercard Agent Pay the user approves with a passkey, then the CLI prints a one-time credential; otherwise it prints a one-time card number, cardholder name, and billing address immediately.
5. Make the purchase — Use those details at any supported online merchant. Use the cardholder name and billing address exactly as printed; mismatches cause declines. One-time card numbers are live for 7 days.
6. Re-fetch if needed — Lost the details before the window closed? Run agentcard request get <id> to retrieve them again while it is still live.
7. Cancel if unused — Plans changed? Run agentcard request cancel <id> to close an unused one-time card number and release its hold immediately.